The Witches #14

‘You found her?’ Daisy asked. She still felt nervous amidst the four witches, especially now Sap had taken Begonia off to have tea with Clover and left her to do this single handed. Just remember everything Sap’s told you, all those stories, she repeated to herself, but it did no good.

‘Not really,’ the witch called Daphne said, watching as the chimera played with a kitten Begonia and Clover had rescued a few weeks ago. The kitten, proudly named "Tigey” by Begonia, leapt about happily, playing with the chimeras tail and swatting its face with her paws. ‘She found me.’

‘One thing you can always be sure of,’ Tulip said happily, staring around at the shop, ‘is Daph being a magnet for animals. This is a beautiful shop, by the way - do you really work here?’

‘Ah- yes, I do. It’s my mother’s; I take care of the animal supplements, foods, medicines, you know. We all run it together.’ She smiled and tried not to faint as everyone looked at her.

‘Imagine. Lilac, imagine,’ Tulip cooed. ‘I love it here.’

‘I bought Garry’s sea-tea here, just before I went home last year,’ Foxglove said. ‘He really took a shine to you,’ she added.

Daisy flushed. ‘He was very sweet.’

‘Bit me the first time we met,’ Daphne said, sounding cheerful.

‘Oh… ah, so how can I help?’ Daisy again looked at the chimera and, as if it knew, it paused mid-game and turned its head, chirruping in interest as it met her gaze.

‘It’s a little hard to explain,’ Daphne admitted. ‘Animals are drawn to me, I take care of them and I… I understand them.’

‘I know.’ Daisy widened her eyes and made a face. ‘Sap’s… I mean I’ve… heard about all of you.’

‘She talks about us?’ Lilac frowned in confusion or disbelief.

‘I don’t think most witches are as… interesting as you four.’ Daisy shifted, looking at the witches all around her. ‘I feel like I’m meeting characters out of a fairytale.’

Tulip smiled and laughed sweetly. ‘Us? A fairytale?’ Again she gazed about the store. ‘And you grew up here?’

‘It’s all I’ve ever known, this and Sap’s broom shop.’

‘The Queen… had a shop?’ Foxglove and Lilac looked at each other.

‘WHEN?!’

‘I was… five or six when she had to close it. I’d spend weekends there. She made me my first broom.’ Daisy pointed and the four witches saw a tiny broom, battered and a little dusty, hanging from the rafters behind the counter. It was unmistakably a broom crafted with love and the first broom they had ever seen made by the Queen for someone else. ‘For so long I wanted to be just like her, make brooms… but then I was left in charge of the shop one week and it spoke to me, really spoke to my heart for the very first time. Besides, I’m rotten at making brooms. So now I make my aunt’s potions and whenever I snap a broom she makes me a new one.’

‘She… makes you a new one?’ Lilac quavered, eyes shining.

‘Lilac’s a bit of an expert on brooms,’ Foxglove said and for the first time Daisy saw Lilac blush.

‘No, not an expert - I just…’

‘She wants to be Sap,’ Tulip said. ‘We all do.’

Daisy laughed and, startled, the chimera trundled over and climbed into her lap. It paced around, prodding her legs with its spiney toes, chewing the fabric of her overalls with interest before wedging itself awkwardly in the pocket on the front.

‘She’s… not done that before,’ Daphne said and only then did Daisy realise the room had fallen quiet.

‘…can I tell you something? About a dream?’ Daisy hesitantly asked, furrowing her brow and patting the creature as it began to snore.

All four witched nodded eagerly and Daisy began her story.

 The Witches is a serial story, published every week on Thursday/Friday. See you then!